RAIL PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW ANDREW TROTTER
We’ve gone out of our way to say,
‘What do you want? How can we do it and how can we do it better?’ I think the industry appreciates that
Lorna Slade talked to Andrew Trotter, Chief Constable of the British Transport Police, about its deepening partnership with the rail industry and why the BTP’s style of policing is right for our transport system
A
ndrew Trotter OBE QPM I was told, was cycling up from an appointment at Victoria station and would be delayed. I wondered if it was the best day to do the interview. Would he be busy and not in the mood to talk? ‘Oh no he’s always very cheerful and polite’ said the press officer who brought me coffee while I waited. And when I was eventually led up to his office, a wash of charm and diplomacy hit, along with a potently obvious sense that he’s fair, but not exactly a pushover.
‘I’m recovering from a knee injury’ he said looking flushed, and after a false start with my voice recorder which made him laugh almost uproariously, his good nature was confirmed. As chair of the Association of Police Officers’ Communications Advisory Group, Trotter was recently in the headlines for his view that forces should not officially confirm the name of arrested suspects until they have been formally charged, much to the chagrin of civil liberty groups and the press, not to mention at this point, the government’s own adviser on law reform, the Law Commission.
The move follows a recommendation by Lord Justice Leveson in his report into press standards, and it’s a report that Trotter is obviously very familiar with. As the inquiry heard, Trotter’s handling of the press at the 1999 Ladbroke Grove train crash became best practice for the police. Personable and trustworthy, his strategy of openness brought out a mutual respect and he clearly does have a lot of time for our breed. Trotter’s background has been well-documented. Before the BTP he had a long career with the Met interspersed with a spell at Kent Constabulary, before transferring back to the Met
Page 24 May 2013
on promotion to Superintendent, rising to Deputy Assistant Commissioner in 1998. ‘I had a thoroughly enjoyable time with the Met, although it was a very challenging time, with the Macpherson report and post-Stephen Lawrence. I was doing countryside and stop the war marches, royal and state events, driving the whole performance regime around crime across London, bringing in murder re-investigations, so really good fun and loads to do. And then the Chief Constable of BTP at the time, Sir Ian Johnston, asked me to assist him in re-building the place.’
Did that appeal? ‘I knew of the BTP’ he said after a slight pause, ‘I went to Ladbroke Grove as a Met officer and I saw BTP colleagues up front for the first time in some detail. I was impressed with a lot of things about the organisation, but it was equally apparent that it was seriously under-funded at the time. What attracted me was its national reach and its work with the private sector – and the fact that the only way it could go was up.’
That change in direction has clearly been initiated and led by
Trotter, and the BTP website proudly credits him with leading a ‘steep change in performance within the force’.
Same skills and more
I wondered what defines a British Transport Police officer from Home Office colleagues. ‘They need exactly the same skills and more,’ believes Trotter. ‘I value police officers all over the country, but BTP officers often work on their own, often in very remote locations and with very little supervision. I’ve noticed a consistent attribute is their initiative and confidence, because
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